Case Study

A concept vehicle designed to illustrate potential technology options
for improving survivability and mobility in future military combat vehicles
was shown publicly for the first time Sept. 13-15 at a military technology
meeting in Virginia.

The
concept vehicle, known as the ULTRA AP (Armored Patrol), was built to
help the U.S. military evaluate multiple science and technology options
- including ballistic and mine protection - that could benefit future
vehicle design. The concept vehicle combines proven vehicle
technologies with advanced materials and engineering concepts.

Research and development for the ULTRA has been conducted by the Georgia
Tech Research Institute (GTRI), which led a unique team of research
engineers from both GTRI and the automotive industry. The research initiative
has been sponsored by the Office of
Naval Research (ONR).

"By bringing together experienced commercial vehicle designers
with experts in advanced materials and cutting-edge engineering, we are
providing a test bed for evaluating technologies that can help the military
develop true ‘leap-ahead' concepts," said David Parekh,
GTRI's deputy director. "By including persons with high-performance
automotive engineering and NASCAR expertise as part of our team, we were
able to root this advanced concepts project in real-world vehicle design."

The ULTRA AP emphasizes high-output diesel power combined with advanced
armor and a fully modern chassis. The design matches the best of modern
commercial automotive technology with racing experience, explained Gary
Caille, a GTRI principal research engineer.

In the ULTRA AP, the GTRI/industry team has made improvements in two
key areas by taking a systems approach to survivability and safety:

Survivability: This factor involves a vehicle's
ability to shield occupants from hostile action. The ULTRA AP will feature
novel design concepts and research advances in lightweight and cost-effective
armor to maximize capability and protection. The new armor was designed
at GTRI in partnership with the Georgia Tech School
of Materials Science and Engineering. The vehicle also incorporates
a "blast bucket" designed to provide ballistic, blast and
enhanced roll-over protection. New vehicle designs must incorporate
dramatically increased resistance to explosions caused by mines and
improvised explosive devices, Caille noted.

Safety with Performance: The ULTRA design explored
the use of on-board computers to integrate steering, suspension and
brakes to provide an unparalleled level of mobility and safety, Caille
added. The new vehicle's integrated chassis represents an advancement
over the most advanced current production vehicles.

The ULTRA AP project has been supported by the Office of Naval Research
(ONR) as part of its mission of investigating and assessing new technologies
for military use. By providing the ULTRA AP concept vehicle for the U.S.
Marine Corps and U.S. Army to study, ONR expects to spur innovative thinking
and gather feedback on the ideas being demonstrated.

In developing the ULTRA AP, GTRI brought together a group of industry
professionals that included Scott Badenoch, an auto industry advanced
development and racing professional; Tom Moore, former Chrysler vice president
of Liberty Operations, the company's advanced engineering center;
Walt Wynbelt, former program executive officer with the U.S. Army Tank
Automotive and Armaments Command, and Dave McLellan, the former Corvette
chief engineer for General Motors.

The ULTRA project is linked directly to "e-safety," an emerging
automotive concept that combines computers and advanced technologies to
make driving safer, McLellan noted. In e-safety, night driving systems
and stability control add security, while radar systems - already
available in Europe - actually slow vehicles automatically under
certain conditions.

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit applied research
arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology. GTRI conducts more than $140
million in research each year for a variety of industry and government
clients in a broad range of technologies. For more information, visit
(www.gtri.gatech.edu).